The present invention relates to an ATP synthesis activator for promoting the synthesis of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) used as an energy source for living cells.
ATP is a nucleotide molecule having three phosphate molecules attached to a 5-hydroxyl group on a ribose of adenosine, which has a formal name of adenosine 5xe2x80x2-triphosphate. ATP, which was found by Fiske et al. in 1929, is a compound widely present in any living tissue or organism including animal""s muscles or yeast cells.
ATP has two high-energy phosphate bonds per molecule, thereby yielding a free energy of about 7.3 kcal/mol when hydrolyzed around a neutral pH and itself being converted into adenosine diphosphate. Thus, the energy yielded from ATP hydrolysis allows nucleic acid synthesis as well as various metabolisms including protein metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and/or lipid metabolism. A compound having a phosphate ester bond provided from ATP will enter an xe2x80x9cactivated statexe2x80x9d to contribute to various synthesis reactions.
ATP production techniques utilizing chemical reactions are broadly divided into two groups: an enzyme-catalyzed technique using a phosphoenzyme and a fermentation-based technique using glycolysis in yeast cells.
An enzyme used in such an enzyme-catalyzed technique includes acetate kinase, carbamate kinase and creatine kinase, and in these cases, acetyl phosphate, carbamyl phosphate and creatine phosphate are used as a phosphate donor, respectively. In an embodiment of this technique in a bioreactor, there has been developed a procedure using acetate kinase and adenylate kinase isolated in a pure form from a thermophilic bacterial strain, Bacillus stearothermophilus. On the other hand, a fermentation-based technique using glycolysis in yeast cells involves ATP production through phosphorylation at a substrate level. This technique is based on the fact that two ATP molecules can be generated when one molecule of glucose is metabolized into two molecules of ethanol and two molecules of CO2.
In the pharmaceutical and food fields, however, there has been no activator known to be particularly effective in promoting ATP synthesis in the body. The promotion of ATP synthesis in the body can eliminate the need for oral ATP administration to increase ATP level in the body. Further, prolonged promotion of ATP synthesis may contribute to health maintenance and the like.
In view of the prior circumstances mentioned above, the object of the present invention is to provide an ATP synthesis activator which allows the promotion of ATP synthesis in the body and results in an increased ATP level in the body for a long period of time.
Our research efforts were directed to achieving the above object, and we have found that when electron generation in the body can be stimulated, ATP synthesis can be effectively promoted by the generated electrons, thereby finally completing the invention.
More specifically, the ATP synthesis activator of the present invention comprises, as an active ingredient, a mixture of a plurality of herbs having an ion-exchange capacity.
The ATP synthesis activator of the present invention can stimulate electron generation in the body and hence results in an improved ATP synthesis activity due to the generated electrons, because dietary fiber contained in the herbs has an ion-exchange capacity.
The ATP synthesis activator of the present invention preferably generates electrons in the body to give a potential of xe2x88x92300 mV or less.
Further, the ATP synthesis activator of the present invention preferably comprises at least one or more herbs selected from thyme, rosemary, turmeric, fennel, grape seeds, dandelion, and Acanthopanax senticosus.